BIG LESSONS FROM COVID-19

Before COVID-19 came to light in Wuhan China, the world was relatively doing fine in many areas. Superpowers were overweening about their cutting-edge weapon discoveries. Others were amassing many more weaponry as they flexed muscles against the powerless. Two conflicts were prominent globally­­––in Syria and Yemen––where superpowers such as Russia and the US were using their proxies to fight each other’s leverage in the Middle East. As well, min-superpowers such as Iran and Turkey were busy claiming the piece of the cake geopolitically. However, soon after COVID-19 struck, everything lost traction. For, all attention was on it thanks to a) breaking out in one of the superpower, China; then spreading to Europe and Americas and thereafter globally. b) spreading alarmingly and quickly, c) sparing Africa initially and d) crippling many economies after the world was forced to alter its normalcy by embarking on lockdowns almost in all countries. Despite spreading everywhere, the cruelty COVID-19 has displayed is much more felt in Europe and the US than anywhere up until now despite their advanced health services.

            Currently, COVID-19 is the most talked about thing globally thanks to bringing many economies to their knees not to mention the thousands of fatalities in many so-called developed world. Importantly, the break of COVID-19 has offered many lessons to the world at large. The following are some lessons:

Firstly, COVID-19 has proved that world priorities, when it comes to personal and national security and stability, are shockingly flawed and erroneous. Many countries spend much more money on national  defense and security by inventing or purchasing many types of weapons and allocating much more of their budgetary money to their departments of Defense than to those of health and others critical areas with the assumption that they’re bolstering their national security. Ironically, the enemy that––even a naked eye cannot see––has put every security measures to hooey. At a personal level, when the lockdown came into effect in many places, there were different ways of responding. In my town, people bought much more toilet tissues and sanitizers than food. One’d think that food was supposed to be priority number one then interconnection among the members of the society to see how they’re going to fight this pandemic together but not severally or just depending on what the authorities will order them to do. Another nugget is that those who used to  be guests in their own homes are now hosts of those who used to host them namely the kids and wives. Time for going and spending much time in the pub is long gone. 

Secondly, COVID-19 has exposed the myths that the so-called developed countries have strong and sound health services and health infrastructure. Zilch. There’s nothing like that. If we consider the thousands that have already died simply because there were no enough facial mask, ventilators even sanitizers not to mention vaccine. Such countries faced the shortage of such cheap and simple thingamabobs not just because they didn’t have money to buy them. Nope. They invested hugely in wrong priorities. For example, in many poor African countries, it is not uncommon to find anti-riot yobbos well supplied whereas hospitals and schools are not. Many countries do not have clean and safe water that is crucial in fighting COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, the same have a lot of batons, boots, bullets, guns, teargas bombs, rubber bullets, shields and all tools of war aimed at being used against their citizens.

Thirdly, COVID-19 has proved that everybody is vulnerable and our resilience as a people is rickety not to mention our livelihoods. As it was for rich countries to fail to have stable health services and infrastructures to curb the pandemic compared to poor countries, rich people, as well, have proved to be equally vulnerable as the poor are. In Africa, we were used to see rich people––who in many instants are either politicians or their associates––going abroad for advanced treatments after felling their health services in their countries was a norm. Thanks to the lockdown everywhere, our tycoons are now likely to die at home. That’s because many borders are shut for the fear of bringing COVID-19 positive victims and thereby exacerbate the problem. Planes are grounded. For, there are no passengers to transport from one country to another.  

Fourthly, COVID-19 has proved that our consumerism is likely to finish the world. After China ordered the lockdown, the satellites picked up some signs of improvement in air quality globally. This means, lockdown serves two purposes namely to curb the spread of the virus and reduce the burden on our environment as we stay home and not over-consume, which result to the improvement in our air quality.

Fifth, COVID-19 has proved that capitalism is not viable, particularly at this time the world is facing the growth in population. As humans, we need to reconsider our lifestyles, particularly rich countries which encourage their people to just consume without considering those they pauperised through slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism.

Sixthly, COVID-19 has unearthed systemic racism in the world. Refer to how US president Donald Trump kept on referring to COVID-19 as Chinese viruses whereas, in some European capitals, some people with Asian pedigree were openly discriminated against simply because COVID-19 started in Wuhan China. Ironically, when Chinese were discriminated against complained a lot. Interestingly, at home, some Chinese in Wuhan replicated the same as they brutally and shamefully expelled Africans for the fear of spreading COVID-19. Why? It is simply because they’re black and Africans. After seeing  the footage of Kenyans expelled from their rented homes so as to sleep in the pavements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that China “have precipitated unfair responses against foreigners, particularly of African origin, from some members of the local community in Guangzhou, especially landlords.”

 Similarly, in the US, it came to light that African-Americans, Latinos and unregistered labours were dying at high rates compared to their counterpart whites. The same was replicated in the UK where non-whites are 15% of the country’s population. However, in the UK, ironically, the number of fatalities indicated that 50% of them are non-whites! On top of that, the west has already started to sound a death knell that Africa will be hugely affected because it does not have sound health services. Well, what have their sound services done to arrest the menace while we saw New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, complaining that his megalopolis would not cope with the  spread of COVID-19 thanks to being overwhelmed. Moreover, to show how some bigoted whites still think backwardly, two French doctors  came with desiccated idea by openly proposing that the test for vaccine for curbing COVID-19 should be conducted in Africa despite having minimal numbers of victims compared to everybody else.

Seventhly, COVID-19 has, as well, exposed some of African leaders when it comes to not understanding their people and the real situation. For, some ordered the lockdown without first addressing the issue of sustenance for those whose life is hand to mouth.  How do you lockdown such a people without showing them how you will help them survive? Because of this, police have already killed or injured some innocent people simply because they can’t adhere to lockdown order that compels them to stay at home without telling them how they’re to survive. Other countries told everybody to stay home without considering thousands of homeless people.

Ironically, whereas humans are now panicking, animals are enjoying a sigh of relief, mainly those that are butchered and eaten in Asia not to mention those that couldn’t cross the roads before the lockdown thanks to many automobiles on the roads.

Source: African Executive Magazine today.

Additionally, another lesson comes from unexpected quarters. The authorities in Guinea have arrested Chinese nationals retaliating  against the attacks on Africans in China. What a good quid pro quo! For more info CLICK HERE.